The Age of Change
by TheLastShadow
Summary: Simple things, like movie night, end up becoming a little more complicated when you involve a god, an angel, and the need to fix canon.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters.

 **A/N:** If you're familiar with my fic or the series, _'Facing Death,'_ then you know Gabriel and Loki tend to world hop. That being said this would fit between chapters 8 and 9 (or 5c and 6) of _'Facing Death'_ posted on this site but can be read as a standalone. I'm trying to get back into gear to finish this damn series.

Anyway, I finally caved in and watched Age of Extinction. I swear I screamed when Ratchet died because I was so upset. Hell, I'm _still_ upset. So, this is my lame dumb way of fixing the movie because if Balthazar could do it to the Titanic then Gabriel (and Loki) can do it to Transformers by traveling to the universe they exist in to fix it.

un-beta'd

 **Spoilers for Age of Extinction.**

* * *

James Savoy smirks as his gun locks on to the transformer.

"I'm the Autobot's chief medical officer!"

He ignores the robot's pleas and is about to pull the trigger when he hears someone yell at him.

"Boo! Boo, Cemetery Wind! _Boo_!"

He whirls in anger and is assaulted by a handful of popcorn. He sputters at the sight of two men sitting in lawn chairs wearing red and blue tinted 3D glasses. The one booing, a short brunet, stands as he continues to pelt another agent with popcorn and a pack of candy. The brunet's jeering increases in volume as more food is thrown at his subordinates moving in to subdue the man.

"Humans suck! Humans suck!"

The other one, a raven haired man, doesn't even look up at the commotion from his phone. Instead, he waves the cell in the air muttering something that sounds like, "Honestly, you'd think this universe would have better reception."

Several agents gawk before trying to keep the two civilians and the transformer in sight. Savoy snarls trying to control his fury. How the hell did two civilians sneak in on a secret operation to eradicate the metal giants?

The raven haired man snaps his fingers to catch the brunet's attention. He points without looking away from the screen in his hand towards the area Lockdown is hidden under water. The brunet shoves two agents away from him as if they weigh nothing and points angrily at the bounty hunter rising from the water.

"No! Nu-uh!"

Savoy thinks it might be overkill if the transformer blasts the men into oblivion but it doesn't matter as long as his agents aren't caught in the crossfire. No witnesses means _no witnesses_.

The brunet growls, "You tell those lame-o's that if they want their creations so badly they'll have to deal with me."

"And me," mutters the dark haired man from his seat.

"Exactly," the short man smiles triumphantly, "Now, go away."

Both men snap their fingers at the same time and Lockdown disappears. He _vanishes_ into thin air. The agents of Cemetery Wind bring up their guns trying to figure out what happened. Savoy shouts at his men to keep the downed transformer from escaping while he and several others move towards the civilians. Another snap of fingers and Savoy feels himself freeze.

The brunet grins, "Aw, the little humans think they're tough with their big guns."

The other man chuckles, "Mortals."

"Anyway, I didn't die," The brunet pauses to frown as he looks at his partner, "Hmm, well, actually I didn't. Did you?"

The other man leans back in his chair and shrugs before waving his hand to gesture 'kind of'.

"Okay, okay, we didn't _almost_ die saving humanity like ten times or whatever just so you bag of dicks could hunt down these guys."

The dark haired man stands with a sigh. He's taller than the agents and his grin is just a tad too sharp as he approaches the brunet. He leans close to the short man and whispers into his ear.

" _Oh_ , good one, Lokes," The brunet's eyes narrow menacingly, "Well, now that we've thought of a suitable punishment…"

The last thing the agents of Cemetery Wind hear is a snap of fingers before everything turns upside down. It's a nightmare come to life when they're flung into an apocalyptic world with a horde of terminators gunning them down.

 **::O:O:O::**

"Look at all that hardware," Gabriel looks at the spark in awe, "How you feeling, big guy?"

Ratchet shutters his optics, still at a loss for words about what he witnessed. One minute he was being hunted down by humans and a bounty hunter named Lockdown and the next he'd been saved by two humans. Ratchet frowns because these two are anything but human. He'd known that the moment they appeared on his scanner. The brunet, Gabriel, sits on his chest mesmerized by the light of his spark. The other one, Loki, is pacing around the lawn chairs arguing with someone named Dean on the phone about going on vacation.

Ratchet wonders what will happen now. He wonders if the humans will come after him with a vengeance for the disappearance of the ones pursuing him. He's startled out of his thoughts when a hand runs too close to the fritzing wires of his torn leg.

Loki asks, "Do you require assistance?"

Ratchet ex-vents slowly before nodding. He's willing to admit he's too damaged to not accept help from whoever or whatever these two are.

"Alright, first we fix you up and then we fix," Gabriel waves his hands around him, "All of this. Deal?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters.

un-beta'd

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Ratchet wakes to the sound of rushing wind and organic pavement rolling under his tires. He swerves for a moment once he realizes he's driving down a familiar road before accelerating. His fans almost stall in anguish because he's back right before everything started going to the Pit. Here, he's actually _here_ , again.

"Look at me!"

"No, look at me!"

Two identical cars fishtail around Ratchet as he continues to make his way down the road toward the Autobot's temporary home. He picks up speed to leave the two annoyances behind but they catch up. He grumbles at the whoops of laughter when they continue to circle him in an effort to get him join their race. The black paint of the Dodge Vipers gleam and undulate under the hot sun. The off center green stripe that runs from their hoods to their trunks winks playfully every time they drift by.

"Are we pretty?"

One of them flickers his headlights, "Do the colors bring out our eyes?"

The other wiggles his side mirrors, "Come on, doc, let's have some fun!"

Ratchet changes to root mode when one car almost slams into his bumper. A screech of brakes warns him to step out of the way of an out of control spin that would've knocked him on his aft.

He barks, "Watch it!"

One twin transforms and takes a running leap at him. Ratchet barely avoids getting tackled but is taken down by the second twin that sneaks up from behind.

"Gotcha!"

The one he managed to avoid laughs, "Cannon ball!"

Ratchet groans under the weight as his helm slams down not once but twice. He tries to shake them off but they cling to his armor, laughing.

"I'm king of the mountain!"

"No, _we're_ the kings of Mount Ratchet!"

Ratchet roars, "Get the frag off of me before I strip you for parts!"

"Ratchet?"

The twins on his back quiet down and roll off quickly. Ratchet feels himself tremble in disbelief as he stands to meet Ironhide. He'd known, been told repeatedly, that things would change once they went back. That he'd see the impossible become possible as soon as he made it to the base. Slag, he witnessed time travel was as easy as a snap of fingers and that organic deities exist in a different universe. However, he still hesitates because actually _seeing_ Ironhide alive after watching him crumble to dust is overwhelming. Ratchet briefly wonders how long the Topkick had been pursuing them or why he never noticed.

"When you said you were going for a drive I didn't think you'd bring back two more with you," Ironhide crosses his arms with a growl, "You weren't at the hospital when I went by. Thought you'd run into trouble when you wouldn't answer your comm."

Ratchet winces as he checks because, yes, he can see Ironhide had tried contacting him but he had been too busy in his rush. He had been too wrapped up in his thoughts of what he'd do or say once he laid optics on his dead friends that he shut everything out.

One twin darts forward before Ratchet can reset his vocalizer. Ironhide eyes him warily as he looks him up and down to assess how dangerous the newcomers in front of him are. He doesn't see an Autobot or Decepticon insignia which is strange since Neutrals no longer exist. Up close Ironhide is able to see the smaller of the two sport fresh looking scars that spider web across his frame. There are dents and healing tears along the door wings but otherwise he appears fine. The mech bounces on his pedes staring up at him, paint rippling in happiness, as he tries to contain his excitement. His twin, taller due to his ramrod straight spine, sidles up beside them. He's in better condition than his look-alike except for the scarred lip plates that stretch at ugly angles when he smiles.

"I'm Locke," says the taller one.

The smaller mech grins wide and innocent, "And I'm Key!"

"Frag," Ironhide grimaces at Ratchet, "You just had to find another set of twins. Couldn't you have brought me a couple of 'cons to blow up instead?"

Ratchet snaps out of his daze as anger soars to the forefront. He shouldn't blame Ironhide for something that hasn't and will _never_ happen but he forgets. In another time and place he would have embraced his once dead friend but now…

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Ratchet ignores the chanting twins as he aims a second punch at Ironhide's stupid face.

* * *

 **End note:** Okay, they traveled back right after the end of the first movie but haven't gotten to the beginning of the second. Everything is going to change due to the whole time travel adventure! Not really sure how much time I'll invest in this but that's what I said about _'Fix Me'_ and look what happened there ughhh


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters.

 **A/N:** I'm still trying to get a grip on how to write Ratchet. I'm going with the whole time travel thing might have affected him more than he likes to admit in case he seems OOC.

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* * *

"We're sorry."

Ratchet grunts as he polishes the grayed armor with slow and precise swipes. There's no grime, hasn't had any since the body was dragged out of the Laurentian Abyss, but he can't keep himself away from Jazz's broken frame. No matter how many times he stares at what's left of his friend he can't stop himself from trying. He's not even sure _what_ he's trying to do but it doesn't deter him. Cleaning the remains is the only option he has at the moment. It's the only thing that helps settle his chaotic processor.

"We regret not keeping our word. We had hoped to have reached a different time but-"

Primus, if their apologies don't grind on his gears after the first fifty times. Locke, or Loki or whatever the slag he calls himself, continues to express regret and his twin isn't any better. It's enough to make him want to toss a wrench at their helms.

"Enough."

Ratchet's gruff voice stops the apologies from continuing. He doesn't blame them. They'd done more than enough just by coming this far back. After all, it was their war. Their fault the Allspark reached Earth. Jazz's fault for going against Megatron alone to buy them time. Jazz's fault for getting himself torn in half.

"He knew what would happen. I can't blame you for trying to help fix everything."

Ratchet sees Locke shift uncomfortably in his corner but doesn't say anything. Key is closer, sad optics starring into the empty spark chamber of the frame stretched out before them.

"Look, it's not forever, alright? We just… we went through a lot before we came here," Key's hesitation draws Ratchet's attention away from his scrubbing, "Our mojo was pretty low. I was in trouble and Locke went through so many doors to find me and then there was a fight that almost cost us everything. He was dead on his feet by the time it was over. I was worse but after seeing what would happen to this world I couldn't sit back. I couldn't watch them slaughter all of you or have them melt you down to nothing. I couldn't ignore _you_. Do you know what it was like to hear the screams of your people from worlds away? How much it clawed at our soul?"

Locke steps in, voice harsh and angry, "So many of you fell. There was so much destruction and chaos that it called to us. It called to our followers and if _they_ had answered the call instead, well, rest assured the humans would have met a painful end. They would have destroyed their world with the same technology they gained from your deaths. They would only have themselves to blame for their greed."

Ratchet grimaces at the thought of Earth dying.

"Maybe once we recover," Key whispers desperately, "I'll be able to See again. There's no guarantee but maybe, just maybe, everything you experienced will stay a nightmare and not become a reality. A long time ago we were told doors open and close all the time and that's what we're doing. We have to try door number two and hope it's a better option."

Ratchet can only nod at their promises because if they believe they can bring back Jazz and finish the war then who is he to stop them? Especially when he knows the outcome of one reality. It's painful to think that their victory over the Decepticons is also their end.

"Sorry, you can't tell the others. We don't want you to choose us over them."

It's strange, Ratchet thinks, that he rarely speaks to the Autobots and their humans allies nowadays. Strange that the abilities of a pair of organics would render him silent. Strange that it was his idea of keeping everything a secret until the time was right or maybe not tell anyone, ever. He's reluctant to bring it up after not saying anything in the beginning and specifically after keeping Jazz's body hidden. The feeling of uncertainty makes his tank churn uncomfortably because he hates lying to everyone about something so important.

"I said enough!"

Ratchet fingers clutches the cloth in his hands trying to stave his growing ire. He scowls until Key clamps his mouth shut in shock and Locke flinches a step back.

"I've had just about enough of you treating me like I'm a hatchling. I've heard you long enough to know you're sorry but there's nothing to be sorry about. This, _here_ , right now is enough to keep me in your debt for eternity. You don't understand how thankful I am for everything you've done."

Locke and Key fumble over their words as they express disbelief and reassure him they don't need anything as grand as a life debt.

"Too bad, so shut your traps."

A small smile tugs at the corner of Key's mouth, optics still downcast. Locke chuckles in embarrassment as he tries to busy himself by dusting the shelves he's nearest. Ratchet looks smug at having the two beings shuffle awkwardly around him. He lets them stew a bit longer as he methodically checks and rechecks to make sure every bolt and wire that belongs to Jazz is placed back in an insulated bag. There's no fancy snap of fingers or outlandish chanting, only a cold breeze and the bag is gone.

"So, which one of you is first?"

Locke and Key freeze, eyes darting frantically between them over Ratchets head before looking over at him. Their power is low and what little they managed to collect was used to keep Jazz's body hidden. Locke moves first using a nearby table as a shield to escape the hangar when Ratchet takes a step towards him. Key isn't so lucky having been cornered between two walls and a sheet of metal used for an operating table. He hisses and scrunches down to keep himself out of reach. His plating flares and his wounded door wings hike up as far as they can go.

"Locke, you traitor!"

Locke laughs from the safety of the doorway. He still clutches the table intentionally blocking the entrance from anyone going in or out.

Ratchet grins at Key, widening his stance, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, kid."

"I like it rough," chuckles Key in response.

Ratchet almost offlines his audials when Key lets out a loud screech of irritation. He slams the smaller transformer against a table and holds him down long enough to cuff both wrists. Locke comes back into the hanger crooning gibberish at the immobile mech but Ratchet ignores him to run his scans. Key huffs and bucks trying to escape but he's too weak to escape or maybe he's not trying. Ratchet isn't sure since their strength wanes every now and then.

"The sooner you stop this nonsense the sooner you'll get fixed up and out of my medbay."

Key continues to growl throughout the checkup regardless of Locke's presence. He calls his brother a traitor for abandoning him and other words in languages Ratchet is unfamiliar with. Ratchet finishes, making sure to check every crack and dent to make sure they're healing correctly with no infections. When he moves away, Key slumps forward having tired himself out. Locke tries to soothe him with quiet whispers telling him he'll be free soon. Ratchet moves fast to clamp down on one of Locke's wrists when he becomes too distracted with Key. Ratchet smirks when the black transformer pales as he's cuffed to his twin.

"Your turn."

 **::O:O:O::**

The twins kneel before him as he sits in what passes for the Autobot's common room. Ratchet ignores the incredulous looks his fellow Autobot's aim at his direction. The humans, red faced and stuttering, had long ago fled the small corner they inhabited in the hangar. He really should have known better than to test the twins' patience but it's too late now. He knows there was little to no chance he'd ever give them a checkup if he were to ask politely. Besides, he's used to being obeyed in his domain and more often than not handled mechs twice his size until they gave in to his demands. A few were bold enough to retaliate later but this was not what he assumed would happen.

"Master, how may we serve you?"

"Yes, tell us, Master."

He blames the group of humans that walked in while he was examining the twins. It didn't help when the twins began to moan provocatively, still cuffed to the examination table, once they realized they had an audience.

"Master, stop teasing us."

Ratchet ignores their lingering touches around his hips and knees. He's not willing to give them the satisfaction of showing any reaction. However, he ends up pinning a hand under his foot and growls out a warning after it dipped too far between the seams of his ankle.

"Forgive me, Master! Please do not punish me again!"

"Punish me! I can take it!"

He snorts and continues to read his datapad. It's mildly embarrassing, sure, but the small pets of affection feel nice on his plating. Now, if only everyone could stop calling his medbay a 'play room'.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters.

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* * *

Robert Epps is on his way to the barracks but stops at the sound of two unfamiliar voices arguing.

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"I'm older so what I say goes!"

"Well, I'm taller!"

He peaks through the hangar doors and barely has time to duck out of the way as two mechanical beings burst through.

"Say it! Say it!"

Epps takes in the identical beings rolling around and wonders if these are the new arrivals that Ratchet found. He's not sure if he should sneak away while the two fight or try to break them up by gaining their attention.

The black mech pinned on the ground hisses, "I'd rather kiss Surtur!"

"That can be arranged!"

The mech frees himself and pulls the other into a headlock. They continue to fight for dominance only to stop their caterwauling when they hear Epps laugh.

"Man, no wonder Hide complains about you two."

Epps' laughter trails off when both sets of yellow eyes zero in on him. He shifts uncomfortably for a moment trying not to be weirded out by the different color of their optics. He could've sworn he'd been told their eyes were blue like the other Autobots.

"Uh," Epps coughs, "You guys okay?"

The Cybertronian still caught in the headlock twists out of the hold and approaches him quickly. Epps yelps when a dark hand lifts him off the ground roughly. He tightens his grip on the hand holding him against his will hoping not to die. He gulps thinking back on the rumors about the two newest Cybertronians not being fond of humans. Hell, he's _seen_ the wave of soldiers stationed on base beg for transfers. Something about recurring nightmares but he can't remember the details now that he's at the mercy of one of the giants.

The face of the mech holding him turns into a scowl and sharp denta flash briefly. His American accent takes a coarse edge when he growls, "Looks like we got a spy, Locke."

"A what!" Epps yells in surprise, "I ain't no spy!"

"Key," Locke reaches out to take Epps, "This one is an ally."

Key snorts, "Oh, yeah, they're all _allies_ until they get greedy. We've seen what humans are really like, _remember_?"

Epps stays as still as possible as he's transferred from one hand to another. Locke eyes him for a moment head tilting in thought. Epps tries not to quiver or bolt when he's finally set back on the ground on unsteady feet.

"We are not perfect either, Key," Locke smiles at Epps, "Please forgive my brother."

Epps staggers back until his back bumps into the building behind him. He tries to calm his rapid heartbeat while ignoring the twinge of pain on his ribs. He watches, wide eyed and afraid, wondering if these two really are as dangerous as the others have said. Epps jumps when he's addressed by the mech that saved him from being squished.

"Robert, are you well?"

For some reason he can't get his mouth to work properly. His tongue feels heavy and his body feels sore from the rough handling. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to gather himself together. Key looks bored but Locke appears curious.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Key grins, "See? The meat bag is fine. Sheesh!"

Epps gives them uneasy looks when Locke chuckles. He watches as the mech before him starts to shift and transform until a black Viper sits before him. The door pops open and the horn honks twice as an invitation.

"I must be goin' insane," the man mutters to himself before asking out loud, "You're not going to murder me and dump my body in a ditch, right?

Locke laughs, "I promise not to kill you."

"We're just going to cruise around," Key snickers as he transforms, "If you get in trouble just tell your boss we kidnapped you. Easy peasy."

Epps hopes he made the right choice when a seat belt slithers across his chest to hold him in place. He _really_ hopes no one hears his scream when Locke peels out and careens around a building at full speed. His grasp on the arm rests don't lessen when they're off base because the twins decide to race.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters.

 **Author's Note:** This might be confusing for some so bear with me on the points of view switching every now and then.

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* * *

Mikaela takes deep breathes to help calm her anger. She tries not to pace and ends up popping her knuckles to take the edge off. She loves Sam, she's pretty sure, but sometimes she _isn't_ sure.

Bumblebee is one of Sam's greatest friends but she can't stand the way Sam can flip easily and see the Auotbots as a burden. She wants to shake him or yell at him because the Cybertronians are amazing. They're beings from another world, galaxies away, and the only thing he focus on is trying to fit in. Sam talks about wanting to live a normal life with a normal job and a normal family. He wants to fit in society's mold of being ordinary. Mikaela scoffs because who would want that after everything they've been through in the last year?

Then again, she's never really been normal. Being labeled a juvie punk tends to make you open your eyes a lot sooner than most. It leaves a mark on your records that brands as "not good enough" in the eyes of others. Maybe that's why she thinks he's being childish. She knows what it's like to stand out and be looked down on for a parent's mistake. But she knows what it's like to fit in and be seen as just another air head. She would rather stand out than go back to being some pretty bimbo.

The sound of skidding tires and loud whooping pulls her out of her foul thoughts. She frowns when she spots two black Vipers wind around several building before braking not far from her. A third voice piques her curiosity and she walks towards them to take a closer look.

Epps frowns, "Key, you're going to run someone over one of these days. Ratchet is definitely going to follow through and turn you into a toaster."

She blinks in surprise because Bumblebee told her about the new Cybertronians. He said they were mean to humans and to stay far away from them.

The empty car Epps addresses hisses, "Then they should stay out of the way!"

"To be fair," the Viper the sergeant is sitting in chuckles, "You were on the sidewalk."

"Well, it looked like a road to me."

Mikaela smiles because these two seem to border more on the reckless side of the scale than scary. Besides, Epps wouldn't be with them if they were as bad as the rumors say, right?

"I gotta go, guys. Pretty sure the higher ups are going to chew me out for not keeping you two in line."

The car he steps out of purrs, "As if you could."

One of them snickers when Epps flips them off before disappearing into one the closest office.

"Well, _hello_ there."

The Viper rolls forward until it's within touching distance. Mikeala raises an eyebrow because the amount of inflection in those three words makes it sound like he was hitting on her.

"What's a beautiful woman like you doing in a dump like this?"

"By the Tree," the other Viper flashes his lights, "Keep it in your pants."

Mikaela arches an eyebrow, staring incredulously, when the Viper drives a slow circle around her. The windows lower and music trills out.

" _At last, My love has come along, My lonely days…"_

Her mouth falls open to stare because _really_? While some Cybertronians had come to find she was 'aesthetically pleasing' for a human, none had done _this_. She can't help it when she turns to face the other Viper whose lights are still flashing angrily.

She frowns when he hisses, "I swear to Odin's beard this is the most asinine-"

The Viper ignores him, "Oh, speechless? How about we go for a drive? Maybe you can let your hair down while I take my top off? We'll make it a date."

It's bad enough boys and men alike hit on her but she'd thought being around aliens would keep her safe from that. Mikaela is about to give the bot a serious tongue lashing when a sharp whistle makes her look up. She stumbles back, eyes shut tight as she crouches down hoping the wrench sailing through the air doesn't miss the Viper's hood.

She looks up when she hears the clang of metal and a yelp of pain. She's surprised when she sees large black fingers cupping her protectively.

"Are you well?"

She can only manage a nod because that had been terrifying for a moment. When the Viper's hand moves she grins because Ratchet is scolding 'Romeo' while holding him in place with one foot on his hood.

She almost chuckles when the music changes.

" _You're a heartbreaker, Dream maker, love taker-"_

Mikaela lets out a snorting laugh when the twin protecting her runs to defend his brother.

 **::O:O:O::**

 **Somewhere outside the Autobot Base…**

"How long do you think our magic will last?"

Gabriel watches his window roll down slowly before answering, "Honestly? Not sure. You know traveling through space and time messes up our powers. Not to mention this is a completely different dimension with different rules. If we're lucky Ratchet might not notice we weren't on base today."

The angel fiddles with his tie for a moment before looking over at Loki. He tilts his head and a green scarf materializes around the long pale throat.

"You shouldn't be wasting what little energy we have on nonsense."

The archangel grins, "You looked cold."

Loki clears his throat, hands tightening on the steering wheel, as he whispers a thank you.

"Anyway, we're almost there, right? We'll grab the last piece and boom! Insta-change of destiny!"

The god tries very hard not to let his eyes roll out of his head at Gabriel's enthusiasm. It'll be more complicated because they aren't sure their magic is compatible with a relic of this dimension. He shudders causing the vehicle to swerve monetarily. He waves away Gabriel's look of concern that quickly turns into a scowl.

"I'm alright. One of our doubles dissipated and it felt… odd."

Gabriel briefly closes his eyes murmuring, "I have another set operating on the other side of the base. They should keep Ratchet busy once he realizes who they're harassing."

They lapse into silence again before the angel frowns.

"Wait, why are we driving to the Witwicky house? Wouldn't it be faster to snap our way over there?"

"Yes but I thought it'd be entertaining to see how many traffic laws we could violate with me behind the wheel."

Loki flashes Gabriel a smile before stepping down hard on the gas pedal. The angel laughs as he unbuckles his seat belt to stick his head out the window.

"Yee-haw!"

 **::O:O:O::**

Sam gulps up at the smirking transformer. His heartbeat speeds up and his breathing almost stops when a second figure approaches. It looks just like the one bullying him. He grimaces a little because bullying might be too strong a word. _Maybe_. Instead of running away in terror he strains a smile and gives a halfhearted wave as if to say 'hi'. The newcomer raises an eyebrow at him before turning his attention to the transformer between them.

"Darling, I've been looking everywhere for you."

Sam is thrown off by the accent. He'd expected it to be similar to his twin or at least more American. The smirk on the transformer before him morphs into a smile. He turns to nudge his twin and winks at him.

"Look who I found," he grins.

"Uh," Sam stutters not knowing what to say now that he's at a bigger disadvantage.

The newcomer stage whispers to his twin, "I spy with my little eye something about to go _splat_."

"Not yet," says his original tormentor, "Gotta get the trinket first, remember? Otherwise everything will go down the same."

"Ah, I suppose. We could always dismember him later."

Sam stares in horror because apparently he won't be getting any help from the new guy. He closes his eyes and braces himself. The familiar sound of squealing tires and the smell of burnt rubber makes him flinch. When he opens his eyes again he looks up to see Ratchet frowning at the black Vipers speeding away.

"Oh man, am I glad to see you," he gasps.

He freezes when Ratchet's angry face turns to him. It feels like he's missing something and he wants to ask but Ratchet transformers and leaves before he says anything.

"Um, I'm okay! I guess I'll just h-head home."

Ratchet ignores Sam as he chases the two troublemakers. However, his alt-mode isn't built for speed like theirs and he loses them after the third left turn. He slows down, changing to root mode, barely able to stomp down his temper. For some reason or other, the twins had been bent on using holograms to trick him all day since the wrench incident this morning. He's seen them pester humans and Autobots before flickering out of sight. Either they were faster than he previously thought or they have enough power to "will themselves away" as they call it.

He trudges between several warehouses still looking for the wayward twins when he sees something move in the shadows of a hanger. The humans on the catwalk don't notice the movement, too absorbed in their work to see the odd shapes distending. The medic frowns, weapons whirring low, as he steps closer to investigate. Ratchet surges forward when someone yelps and disappears. Some of the humans that were near Epps when he vanishes scream thinking he fell over the edge.

The medic snarls when two familiar shapes bounce out of the shadows with an angry human between them.

"It's time for an adventure!"

"To infinity and-!"

"You two!" Ratchet tries not to grin when Locke and Key cringe, optics cycling wide in terror. "Medbay, _now_!"

Ratchet doesn't acknowledge the whines and smirks when Epps laughs as he jumps back onto the catwalk. Ratchet groans when he turns because the two trouble makers are gone _again_.

 **::O:O:O::**

Loki coughs, "Excuse me, may I have a refill?"

He clears his throat once more to get rid of the feeling of static rolling through him as another set of doppelgangers expire.

Mrs. Witwicky grins, "Of course!"

The god glances out the window when he's left alone to see Ron Witwicky talking animatedly with Gabriel about his lawn. He eases back into the couch again just as Mrs. Witwicky returns.

"Thank you," he smiles.

"So, Agent Connolly, do you and Agent Tucker think my Sammy will be alright?"

Loki does his best to look positive even though he's tempted to glower. This is the longest the god has ever dwelled in another world and it's slowly eating away at his patience. If anything Sam is annoying and too _wriggly_. He's used to Dean and Sam as is only form of human interaction and not these mortals with little understanding about the universe. He misses Dean's gruffness and Sam's curiosity. Norns help him, he even misses _Thor_.

"Please, call me Brian."

He pauses to take a sip of water and gather his thoughts.

"Yes, my partner Mick and I are sure he'll make a full recovery after those rogue agents attacked your home and the incident in Mission City. The United States Government is taking great care to extend a helping hand to those that suffered in these atrocities. We're to make sure your son is adjusting well and not having any problems physically, mentally, or emotionally."

Judy Witwicky sighs in relief, "Oh, thank the Lord. I was so worried. He's been so secretive and twitchy, I just don't know anymore."

The god tries not to huff impatiently when the woman starts to babble nonsense. He barely manages to catch the last part of her question and perks a bit.

"Well, with your permission we could see Sam's room. If there are any warning signs that indicate he's under any stress I'll be sure to let you know."

Loki is drawn to the small remnant of the All Spark as soon as he steps into Sam's room. Its Light is dim, dimmer than what the god expected, but it's still bright for its size. He snatches the piece when the woman looks away briefly and Loki can't help but plant seeds of doubt in her head when her conversation tires him. By the time he steps out of the house he's sure she's convinced her son is doing some form of recreational drug or at least in the process of taking up drinking.

"I've never met a human so obsessed with their yard," the angel frowns as they walk down the street, "It's kind of sad."

Loki doesn't even look at the angel while he inspects the item in his hands. He mutters, "I don't criticize your hobbies. Why should you disapprove someone else's?"

Gabriel laughs, "Oh, puh-lease! You've always disliked my hobbies. Very vocally, I might add!"

The god continues to turn the small piece in his hands trying to read the etchings.

"Anyway, are you going to tell me why we ditched our ride in front of the Witwicky's?"

Loki flips his hand letting the remnant fall into his pocket of hidden space before turning to his smaller counterpart. He pulls his magic and Gabriel's grace until their forms twist. Bones and muscles shift as limbs shorten and hair sprouts everywhere until they resemble a pair of unkempt dogs just as a yellow Camero pulls into the Witwicky's driveway. The god bares his teeth at his smaller counterpart. His words tumble across the angel's mind now that human speech is impossible with his new mouth.

~Let's just say the car involved in the high speed chase earlier was spotted five minutes ago. It may also be registered to a Samuel James Witwicky.~

Gabriel barks, ~You _are_ evil.~

They disappear laughing once they hear the sound of police sirens approaching.

* * *

 **End Notes:** Gabriel and Loki's agent names, Brian Connolly and Mick Tucker, came from the glam rock band (The) Sweet. I was listening to _Ballroom Blitz_ when I wrote this.

 **Songs:  
** _At Last (my love has come along)_ by Etta James **  
** _You're a Heartbreaker_ by Pat Benatar


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters.

 **Author's Note:** Sorry for the short chapter but this didn't really fit in with the other chapter so I decided to split it.

un-beta'd

* * *

" _Is that all you got, Megatron?"_

He thinks he's the one speaking but he's not sure. The name… he _knows_ that name. He just can't seem to place it…

" _Come here, you little cretin!"_

He growls when the words filter through his cortex. His body lurches forward in a weak attempt to attack. He can almost see the dark scowling face and feel the sharp claws latch onto him.

" _You want a piece of me! You want a piece!"_

Jazz feels his fans stall and his joints squeal painfully. His frame feels hot but his fans aren't churning enough cool air to lower his temperature.

" _No, I want two!"_

He shudders, clawed digits digging into the berth. His limbs jerk and cables shriek as the pressure continues to coil them tighter. He sees bright red eyes stare down as his body twists painfully. The sensation of being torn in two all over again almost knocks him out. He wants to fall into recharge until the pain goes away but the sounds of yelling won't let him.

"Why is he screaming?"

"Is he alright?"

"I don't know! I-!"

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Jazz falls into stasis. Even there he thinks he feels phantom pains bite up and down his spark. When his optics online again it's dark. He tries to pull himself up but there are restraints holding him down. A sharp _clink-clink-clink_ causes him to look down and he frowns at his twitching digits and pedes. His limbs don't obey when he tells them to stop twitching. He shoves his panic aside as he tries to assess his position.

"Jazz? Jazz, can you hear me?"

Jazz twists his head as far as he can to see a pair of glowing blue eyes. He ignores the CMO to shift through his memories. It feels like he's fumbling when he tries to pull up every bit of data from his logs. His fans screech when they stall in surprise because the last memory he has is from _before_ Mission City.

He stares for a beat before he growls low. He shake his head because he knows, he _knows_ for a fact that the Autobots had gone to Mission City to hide the Allspark. He wants to ask what the frag happened because he _knows_ he died. He felt his spark gutter and his frame be ripped apart. Instead his voice hiccups and sends a burst of static. He thrashes, ignoring his system when they beep warnings.

"Jazz, calm down before I put you under again!"

The Autobot stills, optics spiraling wide. His vents shriek and warnings flood his HUD. He hears his name again and he does his best to answer but it comes out in a jumble. Jazz groans as a tremor racks through his frame. It hurts, it hurts, it's like he's being torn again!

"It's alright, you're alright. The pain is only temporary."

Jazz dims his optics, unable to focus on the new voice on his right.

"Shh," Another voice from his left whispers, "Go back to sleep. You'll be as right as rain next time you wake up."

He's already in recharge before the speaker finishes. Later, he remembers dreaming of two pairs of yellow optics guarding him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters.

un-beta'd

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Ratchet shifts uncomfortably before hunching down low on his tires. He had been under the impression the road would be clear. Instead, he's stuck bumper to bumper due to a car accident farther ahead.

"Shot through the heart and you're to blame!"

Ratchet cringes at the off-tune voices that warble out of the car beside him. His sensors turn until it scans Key bounces on his tires, happily, while two young soldiers riding with him sing to the tune of his radio. He's not sure how Key can stand the screeching the humans call music. He's also pretty sure the only reason the humans partnered with Key for this outing was due to Sergeant Epps blackmailing them.

"Darlin', you give love a bad name!"

He continues down the line past Key towards Locke, who sits right behind him. Locke's engine grumbles irritably but he's not sure if it's from the tingly sensation brought on by his scanner or the singing. There's no one 'riding' in him, except for a hologram sitting in the driver's seat.

The medic gives a snort thinking it was a horrible idea to bring Locke and Key. If Optimus hadn't insisted, or Ironhide threatened, this 'mission' would be complete by now. It's a bit insulting his only job nowadays fall under being a courier between Diego Garcia and their newest base.

It doesn't help that he's also the unofficial sitter to the two wayward twins who have a penchant to scare humans. He wants to make a fuss and tell Prime that he's the Autobot CMO and _not_ some nannybot. Of course, with only so many Autobots stationed on Earth it's difficult to foist them off to some other bot.

Jazz is confined to medbay until he regains use of his limbs and his memory isn't full of holes. While Bumblebee spends every moment he can with Sam Witwicky, Ratchet can't begrudge the younger bot. Bumblebee handles his Guardian duties well while doing more than his fair share of long distance scouting missions with the new arrivals. Not to mention, Ironhide and Optimus are joined by one or two Autobots when a Decepticon signal flares. Everyone has a job and a place. Ratchet, with the lack of injuries to fix, seems to be the only one with "free time".

Ratchet grumbles, lowly, "It's unfair."

That also brings up the problem that everyone is still in the dark about what the 'twins' really are. It's tempting to just spill everything. Ratchet wants to, really wants to, but his spark quivers at the thought that he won't be forgiven. It's bad enough he lied about how he managed to obtain the Autobot lieutenant's remains. The fact that he's kept _this_ secret for so long and never mentioned it might cause a rift between his comrades. Primus, even Jazz was led to believe he survived due to his skills as a medic. What would they think of magic or old organic gods?

' _Would they feel betrayed?'_

Ratchet tries not to think about it as the car in front of him finally moves. He tries not to snarl when it stops after rolling forward only three feet. His lights flicker briefly in anger before he's able to shut them off. He's about to comm. Key to _shut the frag up_ because the singing is finally grating his processor when the sound of an incoming missile distracts him.

"Look out!"

The ambulance transforms, sweeping several cars out of harm's way. They tumble off the side of the road but they survive the blast. Other cars aren't as lucky when the explosion sends them flying. Some land upside down, trapping humans inside, while others crash into oncoming traffic from another lane. He tears his optics away from the fire and explosions to place distance between himself and the automobiles filled with humans.

Ratchet doesn't need to turn to know the twins are transforming. He focuses on returning fire, barely hearing Key yell at the soldiers that were with him to get everyone away from the fight. Ratchet doesn't even turn when he yells at the closest twin.

"Stay here!"

After the scans he was been able to run on Locke and Key, he knows they have no weapons. Sure, their denta and sharp claws _are_ considered weapons but when they're coupled against long range weaponry they become useless.

"We can help, Ratchet!"

Ratchet is too busy returning fire at the seekers targeting him. It figures he would be the objective right when the other Autobots are nowhere in their vicinity. It's the perfect opportunity to either take the Autobot CMO as their prisoner or kill him to cripple the bots on Earth.

Ratchet winces when shrapnel sprays along his side and he forces himself not to show fear when he sees a group of familiar Decepticons gunning for him.

"Primus _,"_ he whispers.

He can't help but watch in horror as the Constucticons twist andchange to create Devastator. He watches the Decepticon crawl forward on all fours, large body towering over him. Devastator opens his mouth to roar and Ratchet flinches when it begins to suck up everything in its path like a vacuum.

"Ratchet, run!"

He doesn't need to be told twice but he feels himself lift off the ground before he can take a step backwards. He flies upward, barely managing to hold onto to the top lip plate to avoid being crushed by the spiraling teeth. He shoots, trying to aim at the small connections keeping the coils in Devastator's mouth together. He hopes the collapse of one coil will be enough to stop the suction.

"Ratchet!"

He loses his grip and watches as the turning jagged edges of metal close in on him. He manages to avoid being swallowed when he flings his scalpels to cause a jam. Devastator howls in outrage and Ratchet falls without the air current keeping him afloat. He cuts off a cry when he lands on the ground painfully.

His vision flickers briefly when he tries to stand up again and he falls. A pair of black servos haul him up before he can reset his optics and he's quickly turned away from the furious combiner. Key scowls when several seekers swoop down to box them in. The standstill gives Ratchet time to try to pop his left arm back in its socket. He can't seem to get a good enough grip and fails due to a loose elbow joint in his other arm. He gives up to watch the Decepticons prowl around them. Locke and Key hold him steady, hissing when a seeker strays too close to their huddled group. He wonders what the cons are planning.

' _Why haven't they killed us?'_

' _What are they waiting for?'_

The sound of turbines causes him look up and Ratchet grimaces. Starscream transforms midair to land before them. The Air Commander motions for Locke and Key to be moved aside causing another round of growling. The seeker reaches out to grip the medics collar faring and grins, "Well, well, look who we have here."

Key shoulders forward, denta snapping, "Get your skeezy talons off of him!"

Ratchet falls forward when he's released and winces when he jostles his injuries. He hears Key snarl after the seeker tosses him aside. Locke rumbles lowly, unhappy at being held back. Ratchet watches nervously as Locke's blue eyes begin to turn yellow as his anger surfaces.

Starscream laughs when he turns to his fellow Decepticons to shout, "Now, to what we've all been waiting for!"

Ratchet eyes their surroundings wondering if the survivors from the road managed to get to safety. A part of him curses when he sees several reporters aiming their cameras in their direction. It finally clicks that it would be one thing to kill him, fast and brutally, and another to be executed on live television for the world to see. This would renew the human's fears and possibly destroy the tentative alliance they have with the Autobots for their lack of control over the Decepticons.

Ratchet recoils when Starscream pulls out a canister from his subspace. He wants to shake his head because this didn't happen last time! Where did Starscream get his servos on a container of cosmic rust?

He tries to move away from the approaching seeker but several pairs of sharp talons hold him still. Ratchet doesn't look away when the container tips over his helm. He shouts in pain when something slams against him, knocking him into Locke. He turns, optics wide in disbelief.

Ratchet shakes his head thinking this is just a bad memory purge but it's not. Key screams and convulses as his body begins to crumble. The black paint disappears until there's only a mound of rust left. Beside him Locke is screaming, plating flaring wide and arms moving upward to tear Starscream apart. Locke tackles the Air Commander and Ratchet has just enough strength to shoot a Decepticon hurtling towards him in the face. Ratchet turns in time to see Locke tear the seekers helm off before ripping the Decepticon's chest open. More enemies approach and guns whir to life but Ratchet doesn't cower away from what might be his death.

Everyone is so caught up in the chaos of battle that no one notices a door made of fire and wind and black blood open behind them.

Devastator notices too late and tries to wheel back from the dark void when a torrent of liquid fire churns out in his direction. The combiner breaks apart trying to escape the spray of heat enveloping them. Ratchet looks over his shoulder trying to recalibrate his optics to see what's happening. He thinks he sees a one eyed, mouthless rotary but he isn't sure. He can barely make out the gruesome weapons attached to the newcomer's shoulders spewing fire and he _thinks_ he sees pincers for hands.

"Aw, yeah!"

Ratchet barely manages to pull Locke away from the spray of molten fire. The medic dodges a blast hoping to get away from the psychotic bot trying to take on all the Decepticons by himself.

"Let's get this party started!"

 **::O:O:O::**

The raging fires around them begin to settle and Ratchet feels like he's about to fall into stasis at any moment.

"Yeesh, doc, you look like slag," the rotary cackles, "and what's up with those colors?"

Ratchet ignores the gagging sounds the mech makes as he stumbles towards Key's remains. He hesitates when his optics land on Locke already there on his knees. What is he supposed to say? What _can_ he say?

"Locke, I-"

"Shh…"

Locke shushes him as he runs sharp digits through the dust. He stops, sighing softly, before disappearing. Ratchet shutters his optics, unsure of where he could have gone until he looks down. There he sees Locke - _or would it be Loki now?_ – digging through soot in his human form. He watches in amazement when a body is pulled out of Key's crumbling frame.

Loki huffs, "You fool. A warning would be nice in the future."

"Hey, I saw my chance and took it," Gabriel grins, leaning heavily on the dark haired god. He pats down his frizzy hair, chuckling, "Besides, we both know doc bot wouldn't have survived that."

"I wasn't even sure _you_ would survive."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

Gabriel's laughter is interrupted by the one eyed stranger. Ratchet shifts uneasily trying to shield the angel and god when the other steps closer. He still isn't sure if the Cybertronian is an ally regardless of what the red brand tells him. He's not sure how _sane_ the mech is and would rather not find out the hard way in case he's attacked. The sheer ruthlessness the rotary exhibited while fighting the Decepticons was unsettling.

The lone eye zeros in on Loki and Gabriel. The unknown Autobot's antennae flicks irritably and he buzzes a snort, "So, you're the guys? You don't look like much to me."

"That's what you said about us, remember?"

The voice startles Ratchet because he doesn't see or sense anyone on his scanners. The guns anchored to the rotary's shoulders quiver and bend until two males – _more gods?_ \- stand on his shoulders. One sports a torn suit and unkempt hair while the other has no damage to his clothes.

The heliformer clacks his pincers together angrily, "Pfft, whatever."

Loki ignores the threat of sharp appendages and frowns up at the two men.

"Mala! Mayhem! What are you doing here?"

One of the men laughs and the other just shrugs.

"We followed you but we took a wrong turn three doors back," The male in the messy suit replies, "We brought a friend though!"

" _Se llama_ Whirl-"

Ratchet tilts his head curiously when the second man on Whirl's shoulder speaks pauldron. His language module informs him the man is speaking Spanish.

"And he likes guns-"

" _Explosiones_ -"

"Pissing people off-"

" _Destrucción_ -"

Gabriel clears his throat to stop Mala and Mayhem's gushing.

"This is great and everything but I almost melted and I feel like I'm about to pass out so…"

Loki grits his teeth when Gabriel lets himself fall dramatically against him. The god is tempted to drop the angel but he opts to hold him closer instead.

"Ratchet!"

Their group jolts at the shout. In the distance they spot Optimus and the rest of their small Autobot ensemble with their guns out. The human military stands back to inspect the smoldering bodies of deactivated Decepticons while Prime moves quickly to make sure Ratchet is well.

Loki places a hand on his forehead, moaning, "Actually, I'm feeling rather faint myself."

Ratchet frowns when the god lets himself fall. The way Loki falls and manages not to drop Gabriel suggests he isn't tired or injured. And really, what else is the medic supposed to expect? After all, the god and angel have an interesting rivalry when it comes to theatrics.

Ratchet can only stare incredulously at their still forms knowing he's going to be the one doing all the explaining by himself. It's even worse now because he's pretty sure Whirl and the two latched onto the heliformer are going to cause problems.

"Slaggers."

* * *

 **End note:** For people not familiar with Mala and Mayhem: Mayhem is an advertising character in an insurance advertising campaign by Allstate. La Mala Suerte is the name Spanish networks use for Mayhem in the Allstate commercials. In the universe I created for 'Facing Death' they are two separate entities that appear on occasion and are bound to Loki (Mayhem) and Gabriel (Mala). Check out my profile for other updates!

 **Song used:**  
 _You Give Love A Bad Name_ by Bon Jovi


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